PARENTS and carers have been urged to get their children vaccinated and protected from Covid-19 by a health chief.

Last week, the government announced children aged between five and 11 in England will be offered a low dose of the vaccines.

The Joint Commission on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the government, concluded this will stop a “very small” number of children from becoming seriously ill and needing to be hospitalised.

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However, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said this rollout is “non-urgent” and parents will decide whether or not to get their kids jabbed.

Councillor Stuart Carroll, the Royal Borough’s lead member for health and has been advising the government on the vaccine rollout, “strongly advised” parents and carers to get their children vaccinated.

He said: “It is a sensible precaution to take because sadly we have seen rare examples of healthy children getting quite ill with Covid.

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“It is also a way to try and stop a child from getting the virus in the future and then having the potential disruption to education, life chances, and social chances.

“We are also now seeing evidence emerging that vaccination is having a positive impact on preventing and reducing the advent of long Covid and a number of associated complications.”

He also reiterated that vaccines are incredibly safe and called for people who have yet to be vaccinated to come forward.